Running on Empty
The end of Running on Empty when Judd Hirsch realises he needs to let River Phoenix have a better life than being constantly on the run and tells him to cycle off to his grandparents. It’s about that point where you have to leave an old life behind. The tragically early death of River Phoenix makes it even more poignant.

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Who were your early idols or role models? As contemporaries were concerned, I thought River Phoenix was a really great actor. I always looked up to Tom Hanks too; he was kind of an everyman who didn’t need to be the hyper-romantic lothario lead to be successful. I certainly didn’t feel like the lothario at a chubby prepubescent 13, so I looked up to him a lot and his career choices.

Tuesday marks the 24th anniversary of River Phoenix’s untimely death on Oct. 31, 1993. The actor was just 23 when he died outside the Viper Room in West Hollywood due to a drug overdose, but made his mark on the world after starring in beloved films Stand By Me (1986), Running on Empty (1988) and My Own Private Idaho (1991). His final film, Dark Blood, was completed in 2012. In Phoenix’s honor, we’re taking a look back at his quick rise to fame and the best work of the gone-but-never-forgotten star. Read More // here

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Former teen idol and child actor River Phoenix would have been 47 years old today. Drug use tragically cut short Phoenix’s promising film career, which ended with his death in 1993. He died just as he seemed to be entering his prime. Read More here

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Rob Reiner’s STAND BY ME turns 30 this month, and if you’ve been watching Netflix’s Stranger Things, there’s a good chance you’ve been feeling nostalgic for some of the classics of the 1980’s. While many films of the 1970’s focused on bringing a realism to the supernatural and extreme, the 1980’s often brought a sense of wonder and gravity to simple and everyday subject matter. STAND BY ME features a low-stakes plot, loosely connected scenes, and an anti-climactic ending and yet feels universally significant and remains one of the great coming of age stories in cinema. Here’s why it works: Read More: // here

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8. My Own Private Idaho | This 1991 independent film starring River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves was another coming-of-age film that was ahead of its time. The pair played street hustlers who often “tricked” for money, as needed. It takes a look at the pair’s adventure and even the struggle to figure out their identities. Read More: // here

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Remembering River is an unofficial non-profit fan site. We claims no ownership to any material seen on this website and is used, to the best of our knowledge, under the “Fair Use” copyright laws. This is just my tribute to the sadly missed actor.